Florida's Reuse Projects

St. Petersburg Dual Distribution System

Highly treated reclaimed water is made available in a separate piping system for landscape irrigation, including the irrigation of more than 10,250 residential lawns, 57 schools, 133 parks and seven golf courses. This is one of the most widely known reuse systems in the world. The system has been in operation since 1977. An average of about 15.4 mgd of reclaimed water was reused in 2015 which includes irrigating the spring training grounds of a major league baseball team and use in cooling towers at the Tropicana Dome.

CONSERV II 

This award-winning project serves portions of both Orange County and Orlando. Highly treated reclaimed water is piped about 20 miles west of Orlando and is used to irrigate about 2,330 acres of citrus groves and other fruits and vegetables. An extensive network of rapid infiltration basins is used to recharge ground water. The capacity of the reuse system is 48.4 mgd. About 15.87 mgd of reclaimed water was used for irrigation and 21.26 mgd was used for ground water recharge in 2015.

Project APRICOT

This project provides reclaimed water for irrigation of residential lawns and greenspace in Altamonte Springs. Reclaimed water also is used in a commercial car wash, in street sweeping equipment and to fight fires. The capacity of this reuse system is 14.8 mgd, and about 5.78 mgd of reclaimed water was reused in 2015. This project pioneered the use of hose bibbs (faucets) in Florida.

Orlando Wetlands

Orlando created a 1,640-acre wetlands system using reclaimed water from the Iron Bridge advanced wastewater treatment facility. The wetlands are the centerpiece of a public park and nature preserve featuring hiking, jogging, biking, and nature observation. Up to 35 mgd of reclaimed water may be used to supply this wetland system. In 2015, about 11.37 mgd of reclaimed water was used in the wetlands system.

Gainesville

The city makes extensive use of reclaimed water from the 14.9-mgd Kanapaha treatment facility. In the Southwest Reuse Project, reclaimed water is used to irrigate residential lawns, golf courses, parks and other landscaped areas. Reclaimed water is also used for irrigation and in water features at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Approximately 2.24 mgd was used to irrigate golf courses, residential areas and botanical gardens in 2015.

Reedy Creek Improvement District

This utility provides reclaimed water for irrigation of landscaped areas within the Walt Disney World Resort Complex. Four golf courses, landscaped areas at hotels, highway medians, and the landscaped areas at a water park are all irrigated using reclaimed water. Reclaimed water is also used to irrigate a 110-acre tree farm that produces horticultural materials for use throughout the Disney Complex and to wash Disney tour buses. A network of 85 rapid infiltration basins are used for ground water recharge. The permitted capacity of the reuse system is 23.5 mgd. About 13.4 mgd of reclaimed water was reused at RCID in 2015.